A viral video shot at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building has sparked a backlash, despite management insisting the worker was not a tour guide
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 1:03pm, 2 Sep 2026Images of a migrant worker apparently guiding visitors around one of Kuala Lumpur’s best-known heritage sites have triggered a backlash in Malaysia, with critics asking why locals were not hired instead.The row erupted after photos and video circulated online showed visitors being shown around the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, a colonial-era landmark that has overlooked the capital’s Independence Square since the 19th century.
Sharp-eyed viewers noticed that among the staff in KL City Gallery uniforms was a man in a sash reading “May I help?” who social media users claimed was non-local.
The clip quickly ricocheted across social media, with commenters demanding to know why an employee helping to explain Malaysia’s national story of independence and sovereignty to visitors was not a local hire.
KL City Gallery apologised on Monday, confirming that the man was a foreign national but insisting that he had never been appointed as a tour guide.
